The Secret Garden at Dundonald Nurseries in Castlereagh

Not our first time at the Secret Garden, the food, staff, atmosphere, are all incredible. Always welcomed with a smile by Emma and her staff. Can’t recommend enough

Very impressed with the selection of gluten free meals available.

Love this place . Eat there all the time I'm at the hospital.

Beautiful surroundings with great attention to detail. Had poached eggs on wheaten bread - delicious and cooked to perfection. Presentation was also good. Very friendly atmosphere - would highly recommend a visit.

We had an 80th Birthday Party Afternoon Tea for 43 people. The staff were amazing and very attentive. We had 1 person who was a coeliac and they mad a special platter for her and even offered her a special hot chocolate. The food was outstanding and they even gave us takeaway boxes to take home any food we never finished. Even the next day the scones were amazing!!!! Thank you!!!

We had the Turkey & Ham from the Christmas menu and it was delicious. Quite expensive, but good.

Living close by, and a frequent visitor, sadly I feel very let down by the Secret Garden. Food is always lovely, generally easy parking and my elderly, frail mother loves it. We got a table upstairs fairly quickly and lift makes it all very simple. My daughter decided on scampi and my mother exclaimed "Oh I'd love some scampi, but not too much". It is very obvious how frail she is, very thin and going downhill. There were 4 of us and 3 of us decided on the larger plates. The problem arose when I asked if my mother could have a small portion - it is on the kids menu. A large plate would put her right off! She would usually go for a very small snack but was so excited about scampi. Sadly our request was refused saying it was only for under 12's. The waitress proceeded to say she could mention to management but they would still say No. Not wanting to make a fuss, we ordered something very small for mum and my daughter shared her scampi. I understand that the restaurant wants to make money. The amount spent by mum was less than the price of a child's scampi! The bill was £79. I asked the waitress to pass on my disappointment to management but no one acknowledged the situation. I am very disappointed. This is a Christian establishment- it didn't feel that way. After being a favourite since opening, it may be the last time my mother visits. Certainly a little bit of consideration to an elderly, frail lady would have gone a long long way..

Went for lunch with my wife and son. Staff were super attentive upon arrival and seated within minutes. Drinks ordered and order placed all within 5-10 minutes of being seated. The wife went for the special which was salted chili bites with skin on skinny fries and side salad, son had sausages and chips and I had bacon, brie and red onion marmalade panini with skinny fries coleslaw and side salad. Picture below. Overall total was around £30 which wasn't too bad for two big plates of lunch and coke zero and child's lunch. Highly would recommend The Secret Garden to anyone looking for a high quality meal in the Dundonald area.

Asked to order lunch at 11:55am and the waitress refused to take our order saying she couldn’t until 12pm. I said that my father had a medical appointment, could she not take our order and send it to the kitchen at 12pm -no! The chicken Caesar salad was very bland in flavour and a bowl of Chowder cost me £18! There is also a random display of cheap Hannah’s when you come in the door-random and over priced for what you get! Sorry won’t be back

Excellent place. Very good, imaginative food, good service.

THE most amazing wheaten bread (made in house) I think I’ve ever had. Just right, lovely thick slices and great poached eggs and bacon too. An all round tasty breakfast that hit the spot. Only my second time eating in the Secret Garden restaurant and both times have been superb so they seem to keep everything to a high standard.

I ordered a selection of hot/cold food and dessert for a family gathering on Sunday. I cannot praise this place enough. Our guests raved about hit delicious it all was from the wheaten bread to the sensational apple pie and everything in between. Will definitely return again. Helpful staff too 👍 👌

Staff were very friendly and the banoffee pie was delicious

We took a large party of 60 people in a coach on Wed 25th Sept. We had a wonderful meal ,well served in a nice atmosphere, visited shop and garden centre ,a great day enjoyed by all

Have been here on lots of occasions. Food is always good. I hate to say this but the service this morning was awful...☹️

Place is nice and clean however we ordered to frys. The taste of the oil wasn't very nice, the bacon was very overdone, fried egg wasn't even runny. When the lady came to take our plates she could see we hadn't ate even half of it and asked if everything was OK. We said no not really and she just said oh and took the plates and left. Quiet expensive to not enjoy. Service was nice though and most staff friendly, I just won't be back

Busy spot and you'll get a bargain if you ask.

Great breakfast with lots of veggie and vegan options. Great lunches too.

Really delicious lunch and wonderful service, the staff were very attentive

Great place for either a full meal or just a cuppa and a tray bake. The food was very tasty. The staff were very friendly and service was quick.

Nice food but took a long time to get it

Wonderful visit for a delicious afternoon tea. Top rate restaurant.

Been going every three months for years, apart from Covid time and never had a bad meal and service always friendly.

Nice food, pleasant staff. The only down side is that there are only two toilets in the restaurant and none in the garden centre itself, so all customers are using the two restaurant toilets.

Afternoon tea today, food was incredible, so many choices, everything made fresh. Staff were so helpful and lovely. Special thank you to Elizabeth who kept making sure we were ok for tea and coffee. Group of 10 of us and everyone enjoyed and can't wait to come back. Thank you!

I had been persuaded to go here to try the rhubarb scones. Wow, they did not disappoint. We were served by Stephanie who was so friendly and helpful, this really added to our visit. On the way out I saw someone being served the open prawn sandwich , it looked delicious so I will have to go back to sample it 😊

Having visited this restaurant for breakfast lunch and tea on many occasions for super food, it’s is with great reluctance that I write this. Today was not a success for the Secret Garden It took quite a while for the waiting staff to initiallyseat us, the waitress repeatedly mixed our drinks orders, the vegetables were cold and hard, the chunky chips were hard and not properly cooked, the waitress forgot things which we asked for, it was difficult to attract the staff to ask/ remind them about what was asked for as they were talking, the meringue puddings were soggy and to be honest, if asked would I recommend it- I would not.

FABULOUS! Highly recommend, will definitely be back 👍😊

Here does gluten free soda and potato bread made at Campbells bakery. So many places advertise GF Ulster frys which merely skip the bread. Unbelievably happy to get a real fry

Fantastic food. Despite fairly high prices very very busy...our order arrived in bits after what seemed an overly long wait. Won't stop us returning tho. Very friendly helpful staff.

Absolutely fantastic food great portions and excellent value for money. Would go every day of the week ❤️ staff friendly and efficient and

This is a very nice restaurant it’s busy but that’s a good sign! We sat upstairs at a window seat with views, seeing Stormont in the distance. There is a good choice of menu from light bites to full meals. The staff are friendly and welcoming and we didn’t have to wait long. Our food arrived and was delicious and hot and more than an adequate portion! We ventured into the attached garden centre which was well laid out and very good price wise. Will return if we find ourselves in the Dundonald area of Belfast in the future.

Lovely dining at garden centre.. very popular and rightly so

Love the secret garden, lots of vegan and veggie options and a good selection for kids too. Always clean and staff always pleasant, especially lovely Betty who always greets us with a smile!

Friendly staff, tasty food and plenty of items for your home or garden

I love this place. Great views, plenty of parking. You can eat outside or inside, ground floor and first floor. Staff are very pleasant and service is excellent. Good menu and different cheese cake at each visit. Also great choice of garden plants, furniture etc.

Great food. Not much space for prams and mobility aids

Food was disappointing, hard chips and soggy scampi.

Love this place. Food n staff are great. Feel like a queen, with the service ☆☆☆☆☆

Great sandwich food and filling. Nice to have a relaxed wander around the large garden center afterwards. If you pay first you can eat outside. Service was very good and friendly.

Called in after a nearby hospital appointment, had one turkey dinner and one roast beef dinner. Both excellent in quality and quantity. Staff friendly and helpful. The nursery section is well laid out with a good selection of healthy plants. The shop area caters for most gardening needs with some clothing and giftware available also. Well worth a visit.

Great food and friendly service 👌 👍

Food is just standard. We had eggs with toasted wheaten. The wheaten itself was lovely texture but lacked taste. Nice thick bacon but too fatty and eggs were overdone

We had Mother’s Day lunch here yesterday and were very disappointed with the food and service. Not only was the salmon overdone. We had to wait ages for our drinks to come. I also feel it could be a possibility in future that you offer a 2 course option as we had to take 3 courses when we didn’t really want to although we were allowed to take it away.

Always so well organised. The staff are lovely and a great varied menu. Food always arrives quickly and very tasty. Great afternoon tea too.

Staff member was very rude. Taken dishes away when not everyone had finished. Not even letting children with special dietary requirements have their own food in with them even though my friend and i were paying costumers. Never had this problem in any other restaurant.

I had the vegetable soup at lunchtime which was really disappointing as it was a half bowl of mostly bland stock. It was expensive for what I received.

We met up with friends for breakfast and the restaurant provided an Ulster Fry. This is like a “Full English” on steroids. It had soda bread instead of toast and potato bread instead of black pudding. Tasted fantastic. The place is staffed by very cheerful and helpful women who bring you hot food out fast and a lovely banter.

Lovely lunch as always in the secret garden

Very disappointed in afternoon tea.No variety of sandwiches which weren't even cut daintily. Cakes were tray bakes cut into small squares. We asked by staff member to " Clear the table " when she arrived with the cake stand. Didn't feel like the treat it was meant to be.

I was impressed by the staff helping myself and wife getting flowers for a office

Just discovered this place and love it. Food is excellent and it has a lovely gift shop. A good variety of plants at a reasonable price.

Great service and the best scones! Toastie was great as well!

Excellent food and a great friendly place

Warm, excellent service. Pleasant atmosphere, always dependable.

Great place for any occasion great food and service with amazing views across to Stormont.

Poor service, bad and cold seating upstairs directly at the door table #35, Food very cold and a very expensive breakfast. The place was a real go-to place for us and our family members but not any more, we will never go back.

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and great food

Had the turkey and ham. The gravy is on another level. Then into the gift shop and got some of the delicious chutneys they offer. AMAZING

My husband and I went to Breakfast with Santa with our two young children (5 and 3) and had the best time. All 4 of us had lovely fried breakfasts (including a vegan version which had been requested at the time of booking and was remembered on arrival which saved any fuss!), a chat with Santa as he went round the tables while we ate, and a gorgeous photo with Santa in his grotto. I've been now for the last 4 years - it's such good value with the food and photo and will definitely be back in future. Thank you!

The vegan afternoon tea here is second to none! Had a lovely afternoon with amazing vegan sarnies and goodies. The staff are all so friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is warm and cosy. Cannot recommend highly enough! (they also have a huge vegan main menu). Thankyou!

The restaurant was quite busy but staff were very efficient and welcoming. Speed of service could not be faulted. The tea and scones were lovely and I would say they were as good as Perrywood Garden Centre, Essex. I will definitely be back when we are in the area again.

Called in for snack lunch Very good not over priced and tasty Staff attentive

We visited The Secret Garden for lunch & then for breakfast. Lunch was good I had a toastie which was really good. For breakfast which I’m not normally a breakfast person so I opted for their pancake stack with berries & cream. The cream was a bit sparse as were the berries.

I had a lovely BLT sandwich on very fresh wholemeal bread. It was lovely. Coffee is average, but you can't have everything!! Staff were also very nice.

Always a good meal and chat with staff

Food was very good but I went with my family, including a 3 year old girl. We were made to feel very cheap when we opened up a lunchbox comprising crackers and cheese to feed our daughter (who is a fussy eater, and we know from experience that she would not eat anything from the menu - incidentally there was no equivalent to what we bought for her on the menu). We were told that it was not normally permitted for food that wasn’t purchased in the restaurant to be consumed on the premises. Although the allowed us to continue to feed our child with the food we bought with us, it didn’t make us feel particularly welcome and I felt that the only 2 options agreeable to them would be to pick something off the kids menu for £8 that we knew our daughter wouldn’t eat, or let her starve whilst we tucked into our very nice lunch. I would not have objected to paying a ‘corking fee’ equivalent to the profit they’d have expected to make from serving us with a child’s portion to allow us to feeding our child from her lunchbox, but I do object to a policy that does not fully consider the requirements of their patrons. As a result, we will not be returning as there are plenty of businesses that have a more family friendly ethos (merchant hotel, culloden hotel and the crawfordsburn inn spring to mind). Sadly, there is an old adage which applies here - if you have a good experience you’ll tell one person, if you have a bad one, you’ll tell 10.

Another hidden gem this time in Dundonald Co Down. Myself and one of my best friends from school went for breakfast. It was absolutely lovely! A beautifully prepared Ulster Fry with great coffee served by lovely, warm, friendly staff! The nursery its located in is superb and the shop is extremely well stock with gifts and clothes for all tastes at prices to suit everyone. I noted although I wasn't buying anything today that there were many clothing items discounted and really were very good quality and again a wide range (mostly womens fashion). Now the garden shop had nothing short of an excellent range of gardening tools and implements including the Wolf Garden range which I rate very highly myself and will add to the few things I need from this place. All in all I think The Secret Garden restaurant along with Dundonald Nurseries shop and garden centre really do without reservation,deserve five stars! (November 2023) I am going to add a little remark here and say that recently I have found it has become a little pricy! It will not lose its clientele but I personally am reluctant to go as I did before!

Delightful place for coffee/ lunch. Staff pleasant and service good. Scones delicious!

Lovely place to eat and shop. Food generous portions and well priced.

Delicious lunch and dessert, great portions. We had the Hawaiian Chicken Burger with chunky chips and Panini and skinny fries. Followed by lemon meringue and cheesecake of the day. Empty plates all round.

Love the food in here, coffee is first class. Staff are really nice.

I ordered a selection of tray bakes for a family party and I was absolutely delighted with what The Secret Garden were able to turn out! Fresh, flavourful and beautifully presented. Will definitely order again!

Love this place. Have never had a bad meal, be it lunch or breakfast. Or just coffee and a scone. Food is always first class, as is the service. Highly recommend a stop at this place. The nursery and shop is a bonus and the plants are of the highest quality and very competitively priced. Can’t fault it at all.

Great spot for lunch and a browse around the shop. Food was delicious and the staff were very attentive and friendly. Great over all service.

Seated quickly on arrival unfortunately service ended there. No menus provided even tho been waiting 15mins. Just left after table just given beside us given menus&order taken. Will visit shop again but eat elsewhere.

Went for breakfast and honestly had the best vegetarian fry ever! Staff were all lovely, very friendly and super attentive. I will definitely return.

Latte coffee very weak it's just like a cup of heated milk 😞

Unas ensaladas riquísimas, con una ensalada comes muy bien

Lovely food amazing prices now prefer this over hillmount which is over priced and not as welcoming as here

The food was amazing and the cleanliness is immaculate in all areas. Great choice of plants, gifts and furniture. Highly recommended.

Normally I find the staff rude in here, but today they were helpful and pleasant. So a totally praiseworthy experience

We were there today to celebrate my mums 90th birthday, I have never been before but I will certainly be back, the food and the staff were just amazing, so helpful and friendly. I would highly recommend you pay here a visit

I met a few friends for morning coffee so apart from a coffee and a scone I havent really sampled the food. What I had though was really lovely. Service was very efficient.

Love secret garden food delicious and have gluten free options .Also a great shop to go into

Afternoon coffee and scone soo tasty

I didn't go here to eat unfortunately 😕 but I did have the absolute pleasure ☺️ of spending ages in their gift shop. To me, it was like a treasure trove, and I didn't know what to look at first, and they also had a 50% off sale. Their goods are of excellent quality, and they're like 1 offs. You can only buy so many, so you won't see everyone wearing your outfit or handbag. The biggest problem is that once you get in, it's very hard to leave. So be warned ⚠️ 😬

Good menu, excellent quality food and fantastic range of choices for dietary intolerances. Wish all restaurants had this choice!

Always enjoyable experience. Staff in the garden section are very helpful, and knowledgeable....and go above and beyond to assist you. Special mention to the Spanish gardener, and a local Belfast guy who simply made my recent visit special. Did not dine in the restaurant this time, but I know it to be a joy.

Omg, first time here and I couldn't rate it high enough for staff friendliness, extensive menu, food quality and reasonable costs. It Is fully accessable inc a lift to the upper floor and to top it off it is located in a garden center as well.

Excellent gluten free options for my daughter

We took our mother out for her 80th Birthday to make a nice memory but unfortunately this was not the case. Our elderly parents took 10 to 15 minutes to decide what they wanted and 3 times the waitresses keep trying to push them to order. Then when we tried to change a tea to coffee on the afternoon tea, as the waitress was taking the order, she said it was too late. A young waitress was rude to my mother and when I spoke to her asking if she could be a bit more polite her answer was "I am" abruptly. My sister-in-law spoke with the assistant manager who did apologise and took one of our afternoon teas of the bill but that wasn't what we wanted just a lovely day as a family with our mother. This was one of the worse experiences we all ever had from start to finish. It ruined what should have been a wonderful day.

I enjoyed an outstanding Chicken Satay Salad. A generous portion, superbly flavoured and all served in a restaurant with a buzz.

Just amazing food was out this world

Very disappointed with my first experience here. The kids, aged 11 and 9, had their kids' meal brought out on a tiny plastic plate. Quite expensive for all they got. My mum had the beef and hardly ate anything and my bang bang chicken was OK. The banoffee was also very disappointing. Not one member of staff asked if the food was OK etc. Will not be back!

We waited a very long time for our meals. As always the beef was very tender. However, the vegetables were undercooked. At one point the chef came out of the kitchen. We were horrified at the state of his ‘chef’s’ jacket, which was supposed to be white, as it was filthy and a dirty grey colour 🤦‍♀️

It’s like walking back in time to the 1980’s, the decor is so dated, time for a modern look. Food is lovely but menu could do with a change, been the same for years, very little from main menu for people with celiac disease to choose from. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Nice place but just needs brought up to date to bring in the 40+ people.

My friend and I loved are meal it was very warm served on warm places it was really lovely wud recommend for any 1 easy to get to plus if you needed plants 🪴 you can get most things for your garden

Really nice restaurant ( gift shop), has a lift to first floor. Great service, big portions. Best Scampi I've ever had. Chips could have done with 30-60 seconds more- just slightly firm. Good desserts and coffee.

Malcolm and Anne run a great business. Good choice of goods, plants and food in the restaurant, all top notch! Bought more winter plants, great selection and advisory help from the employees, always welcome! Still the restaurant standards are high...and bought two lovely Geraniums..oh, and a hanging basket ..great selection.